Old Friends
by jaymescarstairs
Summary: Eight years after Vampire Academy ends, the group of old friends come together over the years for different occasions. All is well at Court, but as everyone's children begin to grow up and get themselves and sometimes their parents into trouble, things can take a turn for better or for worse.
1. Spirit? Fire?

Before you, lovely reader, proceed, I want to say thank you and that this is my very first story published on here.

**Disclaimer:**

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. THIS IS NOT MY WORLD, CREATION OR CHARACTERS IN THE FOLLOWED WORK. **

The Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series and characters belong to Richelle Mead.

* * *

It had been eight years, I realized.

Since what? Since...well, _everything._ Since I got my life back. Honestly, since Rose went with me to see Jill before Coronation day.

It's hard to believe I've been married for six and a half years now. But everything is going good. Lots of factors have brought Christina and I together, and likewise, apart. Being Queen, time, Adrian's disappearance to Palm Springs nearly seven years ago, reputations, girls'-nights-out with Rose and Jill, jealousy, spirit, even our own love. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better ending.

I'm not worried of what the future has to hold, though I know Christian is. The thought of our daughter running around Court, always finding trouble wherever she goes, often with Lucy Castile, troubles him, though he knows Hans keeps an eyes on them and is always filling me in on everything they do. Marie and Lucy, I learned last night at dinner from Dimitri, though standing at attention with his guardian eyes on-looking and wary, got into his and Rose's room somehow and prettied each other up with Rose's lipstick and large collection of short dresses. Rose curled their hair for them when she found them "because," she said, "Lucy started crying when Marie told me that she took the key from the table when Jill brought her and Marie over when I was giving her her present." It was Jill's birthday two days ago. Rose said she noticed the key was missing but didn't care much because she could "stake anyone who tried anything" and have Dimitri as a back-up.

Sydney and Adrian, of course smoking after nearly five minutes on solid ground, had come up, too. Their seven-year-old, Jet, was hopping off the plane as soon as he could see the runway out the windows. I remember seeing him trying to shake off Adrian's hand, wanting to see Court once more and as soon as possible. Adrian was chasing after Jet as Sydney emerged from the plane's entrance. Their two-year-old, Ally, asleep in Sydney's arms and pulling the middle one, Foster, along carefully, seeing as all he wanted to do was go back to California. I don't know how she did it, her stomach about to pop with that new baby. But, then again, so was mine.

Lucy waiting with us to welcome them, and ran forward to take Foster from Sydney, always trying to help. Lucy is a sweet girl, a year younger than my Marie, much sweeter than her partner in crime. She's got Eddie's sandy hair, my sister's nervous touch and freckles and of course, the Dragomir eyes. Marie on the other hand, is colored like her father, blue-eyed and dark-haired. Even acts like him, sometimes, the Christian from our days at St. Vlad's; mean-spirited, sarcastic (even at age four!), bearing her fangs at other children, trying to scare them off with the tales of her paternal grandparent's evil turn.

At around six that day after dinner, we were all in a lounging room, laughing and talking, two extra guardians, not to mention the three we had in the room, standing at the doors. Foster had fallen asleep in front of the fireplace. Adrian, sitting on a emerald velvet love seat in which the color of his shirt matched next to Sydney, promptly stated when I asked that they were planning on naming the baby, "Geronimo." Sydney had hit him. When Sydney politely told me that they didn't know what they were going to name him/her, I nodded in a way I knew Rose would be pestering me about if we still had our bond. I heard Adrian, leaning in the slightest bit whisper to his wife of almost eight years, " I guess we don't have much time to think about names, huh?" I guessed that was a thing of past talks because she smiled and placed her hand on his cheek, smiling. He looked into her eyes like she was his world.

At that point I turned, not wanting to invade, about to talk to Dimitri in the quiet manner I could with him when Rose pulled me aside with a tug on my sleeve. She had a strange expression on her face. Like she was nervous, yet her dark eyes showed happiness. She was in one of her dresses tonight. A red one that was not at all modest. But then again, neither was Rose. Her hair was up, the was I knew she only wore it to distract her ever-stoic husband.

"Liss, did you see that?" she asked me in a breathless voice.

I looked around the vicinity. "What?"

Her head moved nonchalantly toward Adrian and Sydney who had broken out of their spell and trying to usher Jet back into his seat. He was trying to stand up and have a playful crayon duel with Marie but Christian and Adrian weren't having it. Boys, freaking out about nothing because there are tiny people around. I watched Christian pick her up from the floor and carry her out of the room. Dimitri, of course, followed him, apologizing to Eddie for having to leave their conversation at what it was.

She brought her tone down now that there were less people in the room, though Adrian was now making jokes at Jill and Eddie was busy trying to keep Lucy entertained. Sydney had excused herself for a moment as well. "The way Adrian was looking at Sydney. It was like he was winning a lifetime supply of tequila or something." _Or something. _ "But whatever; you know what I mean. Also, you need to sit down."

Rose. Always trying to add a lighthearted note to any situation. And always telling me to do things for my health. My back was starting to bother me. I sat down in the nearest chair, rubbing a hand over my eyes. This day had worn me out; council meeting in the morning, lunch meeting, Jill's birthday, Adrian and Sydney coming in... Unfortunately, on this chair there was no room for Rose. She was going to either have to lean down in her dress and heels and risk showing off her bottom to the rest of Court or sit on the floor with her knees together because with a dress _that_ tight there was no way she was wearing underwear. She opted for the cherry coffee table, carefully pulling it closer to the chair. She sat, flattening out the dress over the tops of her thighs, but in fact there was nothing to flatten out. It was all sticking incredibly well to her skin. "He never looked at _me_ like that."

I laugh, despite my suddenly reassured anguished state. "Yes, Rose, he did. You never noticed it. You were too busy killing Strigoi in Russia and finding your lost boyfriend and pestering him about his bad habits and trying to prove yourself innocent for a murder you didn't commit to notice."

"You make me sound bad," she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "besides, what about all that stuff you did to Christian before we got out of school?"

"What are you talking about?" I sniff, though I do know, but it seems like a billion years ago.

"Aaron at that party?" she says in a long way, like she's trying to help me remember. "The avoiding, the Mia encounters, come on."

I roll my eyes, but I can't help but smile. "That was us being stupid and jealous and young. He knows I love him and I know he loves me. We have two children together, or _will_ have, and definitely, hopefully soon." I put a hand on my stomach. I could feel little him/her moving around in there. Rose was making a face at me and I laughed, but went on. "Christian and I know nearly everything about each other. And I know that he also thinks you were sort of oblivious when you were with Adrian."

"Oh, come on," Rose almost groaned. You've got to be joking. We were together for not even a month, in my terms. That was like almost a decade ago anyway. We didn't even celebrate any birthdays toge-"

A loud shrill noise then made me jump, and him/her unhappy. The fire alarms. Rose almost lost her dress. Foster sat up by the fire, immediately crying. Adrian dropped an unlit cigarette onto the floor to grab for Sydney's hand, who had recently returned. Eddie swiped up Lucy while Jill picked up Foster, trying to soothe him. Adrian took an also crying Ally from Sydney as she grabbed for Jet. Rose and the other two guardians reacted in a fashionable manor to get everyone out on time.

Outside, or, almost outside, we were stopped in a confusing manor when the alarms stopped. We stood there for a moment, thinking maybe it was a drill. But then I saw Christian, red up to his ears with embarrassment _and_ anger and Marie pouting with a thick bottom lip as he carried her, round the corner, along with Dimitri, who was smiling in a funny way.

"What happened?" Eddie asked in a clear tone, very guardian-like.

Dimitri looked at Christian, and Christian rolled his eyes. "I was taking Marie outside to let her run around for a bit and on our way out..." he looked over at Dimitri in expectancy.

"I put Marie up on my shoulders because she didn't want to walk anymore, and she started the fire alarms," Dimitri explained, but not quite.

"Wait," I said, looking at my husband. "How'd she start the fire Alarms?" In response, he poked his daughter on her shoulder. She put a lock of her silky black hair into her mouth and reached out her hand, palm up. Christian put out a hand, too. Almost at the same moment, both their hands lit up with a small lick of fire, though Christian's was more of a ball of fire.

_Thank God she's not a Spirit user,_ was all I could think.

* * *

Note: I don't know if I'm going to be updating this story anytime soon but I definitely plan on writing about more Lissa-Christina stuff and little Dragomirs. This is my first story and again, thanks!


	2. Sleepover

**Disclaimer:**

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. THIS IS NOT MY WORLD, CREATION OR CHARACTERS IN THE FOLLOWED WORK.**

The Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series and characters belong to Richelle Mead.

* * *

Since Marie first opened her palm to show me she was more like her father than I ever thought two years ago, I have been watching her grow closer to him everyday. She loves her dad. You can tell. And that makes me happy.

Happier than it would make me to see her grow closer to me as a spirit user.

Right then, I was braiding her long black hair into braids, still wet from just getting out of her bath. Christian sat on the sofa in front of the TV, holding one-year-old Rhea close, rubbing her back, trying to get her to sleep. Two-year-old Daniel was already sleeping in his room down the hall. Christian was humming something that sounded a bit like an old guitar song, like Pearl Jam or something but I ignored it, glad I didn't have to put her to bed. Sure, we don't get to spend a lot of time with them, but when they go to bed without trouble, it's a blessing.

"Mom?" Marie piped up from the floor, where I was tying the ends of her braids. "Can I go to Aunt Rose and Uncle Dimitri's?"

"It's almost bed time, Sweetie." It was only 7:00, but I didn't want her to interrupt their "movie night". And by interrupt, I mean walk in on.

"But, Mom. Aunt Rose was going to teach me how to braid my hair."

"I could teach you," I told her softly as she turned around and looked at me with the dim light shining in her Ozera blue eyes. Christian stood up from the sofa slowly, careful not to wake Rhea, who had her black-haired head on her dad's chest. She didn't get her full nap today. He walked slowly toward the crib in the other room, connected to ours, still humming.

"Aunt Rose can do the cool braid, you know, the one that looks like it's a fish."

I heard Christian stop humming for a moment. First I thought he was thinking the same thing as me, _what kind of braid looks like a fish?_ But he'd stopped to say something to me. "You should take her," he said quietly, "before she throws a fit." I looked toward his voice and saw the he was standing right behind me, and I stand behind Marie while she sits in the chair at the vanity.

Marie stood up then. "I'm going to go get my slippers."

"Go get changed and get your _shoes_, not your slippers and wait in your room. I'll come get you in a minute."

And she exits our room and into the hall way. Standing like that really did me in. I sat down in the chair, replacing Marie. Christian sat down on the floor in front of me, criss-cross.

He leaned forward to touch his forehead to my stomach and caress the tiny bulge. I watch his blue eyes flicker around my face, after he lifted his head, taking me in. He grabbed my hand and held the one to his cheek. Ten years. It had really been ten years. "I really love you, Liss, you know that?" I nodded. Of course I did. He leaned up easily onto his knees so that we weren't so far apart. "I really do," he told me in an even softer voice. Titling his head back, he slid my hand into his hair himself on purpose. I still fell for his tricks even after all these years.

He kissed me in the way he always did: unexpectedly wonderful and kind, and then everything went from light to heavy; heavy emotions, heavy thoughts, heavy affection, everything clouded. I tried to tell him I loved him too, of course I did, I always will, but the haze of his eyes and lips took me elsewhere. My hair, tied back in a care-free-not-queen-like-at-all bun, was taken down by his fingers untying the rubber band that held it back. Per, acting this, he stood up slightly, bringing me with him, and, not wanting to look up to have to kiss him, began working on his neck, my hands on his neck and in his hair. Christian then stood up completely and pushed me back towards the bed when I realized that Marie was going to open the door any second.

"Hey, hey," I said, putting my hands on his shoulders to turn him and set him on the edge of the bed. "I'll call Jill. And uh..." I noticed red smudges near his mouth and on his neck. Oops. I wiped self-consciously at my mouth, watching him smirk. "Have a sleepover for Marie and Lucy, huh?"

Christian grabbed the hem of my skirt. Made me sit with my thigh touching his next to him on our bed. He had my personal phone in his hand. "Call her," he said, his mouth very close to my ear. I did, Christian nibbling and breathing in my other ear the whole time, running his hands through my hair and down my other leg. Apparently Aunt Jill knew how to do the cool fish braid, which I was informed was called fishtail.

"Why do you sound so nervous?" Jill asked me. She was coming to pick up Marie from her room, because she was close from doing errands and because Lucy was with her.

"No reason," I said too fast as Christian promptly bit the skin at my jaw.

Jill said, "Alright, fine, tell me later," laughed, and hung up.

_Alone at last. _

Until a minute later Rhea began to cry. We both got up.

"Just another day in paradise," Christian muttered, and I smiled.

* * *

This one was sorter and a bit crapier but I really did want to write it. Also I randomly started writing in second person there for a sec. Thanks for making it through to the end! Funny endings make me smile. Review, like, ect, ect.


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